Not Always As They Appear
by sssms
Summary: Sophie is surprised to learn that things are not always as they appear. An AU story involving primarily Sophie, Nate, and Eliot.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.

Description: This is an AU fic. Sophie is surprised to find that things aren't always as they appear.

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As Sophie entered Nate's apartment, she expected to find the mastermind nursing a glass of Scotch, despite the early hour. After all, tomorrow was Sam's birthday and Nate usually got at least a day's start when any anniversary related to Sam was approaching. What she didn't expect to find was Eliot sitting on Nate's couch, looking through a photo album that Sophie knew Nate usually kept hidden away in a cabinet…a photo album dedicated to Sam's brief childhood. She also didn't expect to be able to startle the team's hitter as she approached him.

Eliot snapped the album closed and cleared his throat. "Uh…hey Sophie…what are you doing here this early?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Eliot. Where's Nate?" Sophie inquired.

"He got a head start last night and hasn't gotten up yet." Eliot replied solemnly, looking back down at the book in his hands.

"Hmmm," Sophie sighed and sat down on the couch next to the hitter. Motioning to the photo album, she commented, "Sam was a beautiful child."

"Yeah…he was a good kid," Eliot muttered, placing the album on the coffee table and rubbing a hand over the cover reverently.

Sophie was again surprised as she studied Eliot. "Did you ever meet Sam, Eliot?" she inquired, feeling a little jealous of the thought that the retrievalist might have known Nate's beloved son while she had only seen pictures of him.

Sophie didn't miss the brief deer in the headlight look that crossed Eliot's face before he schooled his features.

"Yeah, I met him a couple of times," the hitter answered, nervously rubbing his hands on his jeans and looking away.

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Sophie was not so surprised the next afternoon when she found Nate and Eliot standing side by side in front of Sam Ford's tombstone. The grifter was an expert at reading people and had decided that there was more to the revelation that Eliot had met Sam than Eliot had let on. As she approached the gravesite both men glanced up, before turning back toward the marble stone and their silent vigil. "Do the two of you trust me to know the rest of this story?" she asked quitely.

Both men looked at Sophie, then back at each other. When Nate nodded at the younger man, Eliot shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and took them all back in time.

_Eliot started at the knock on his door. He had been laying low for a couple of months trying to recover from a not so brief stint in a small, dark basement cell in the Middle East. No one should know where to find him. Pulling his pistol from his waistband, he eased up to the door and looked through the peephole. He recognized the face and the voice that echoed in the hall. _

"_Open up, Spencer, I know you're in there," the woman bellowed in a thick Russian accent. _

_Shoving his gun back in his waistband before yanking the door open, the hitter growled, "Keep it quiet, Katia, or everyone else will know I'm here too." _

"_I doubt that," the tall brunette answered, shoving Eliot back from the door with a large basket she held in her hands. "You were almost impossible to find."_

"That's because I wanted to be impossible to find," the hitter grumbled. "Why are you here?"

"_I just needed to make a delivery, then I'll be on my way," the woman snarked. "Here," she added, pushing the basket into Eliot's hands and dropping a shoulder bag at his feet. _

"_What is this?" Eliot asked, setting the basket down on the nearby table and looking between it and his former...Eliot didn't know what to call Katia. They had worked a couple of jobs together, spent a couple of nights together, but Eliot wouldn't really have called them friends. Looking warily back at the basket, Eliot reached for shawl that covered it. He half expected to find a bomb in it. What he didn't expect was to find a baby….boy by the looks of him, maybe 3 months old, with big brown eyes and dark curly hair, staring back at him. Dumbstruck, Eliot looked between the baby and Katia. _

_Seeing the bewildered look on Eliot Spencer's face, Katia rolled her eyes. "It's your son, Spencer." Looking at the baby she added, "Samuel, meet your father. I know you probably won't understand this when you're older, but I trust he'll take better care of you than I ever could." She gave a bemused smile before turning back toward Eliot. "His birth certificate and a list of do's and don'ts are in the diaper bag. I've got to go. I've got a job waiting." And with that, she turned and walked toward the door. _

_Eliot looked from Katia to the baby and back before following after the woman, "Wait…wait! Kat, you can't just walk in, hand me a baby, and then leave….Katia, wait!" _


	2. Chapter 2

Not Always as They Appear, Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.

Recap:

_Seeing the bewildered look on Eliot Spencer's face, Katia rolled her eyes. "It's your son, Spencer." Looking at the baby she added, "Samuel, meet your father. I know you probably won't understand this when you're older, but I trust he'll take better care of you than I ever could." She gave a bemused smile before turning back toward Eliot. "His birth certificate and a list of do's and don'ts are in the diaper bag. I've got to go. I've got a job waiting." And with that, she turned and walked toward the door. _

_Eliot looked from Katia to the baby and back before following after the woman, "Wait…wait! Kat, you can't just walk in, hand me a baby, and then leave….Katia, wait!" _

Chapter 2

Nate stifled a laugh at the look on Sophie's face. Whatever the grifter thought she knew, Nate knew she hadn't expected that revelation.

"You…were Sam's….and Nate….how?"

Eliot did laugh at Sophie's uncharacteristic sputtering.

"It's a long story," Nate commented, looking at Eliot as if he should continue.

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_The last three and a half months had been the longest and the shortest months of Eliot Spencer's life. Everything had changed when Katia almost literally dropped Sammy into Eliot's life, yet in other ways nothing had changed. Eliot had been at the top of his game as a hitter and a retrieval specialist when Sammy arrived, forcing Eliot off the grid. Unfortunately, a specialist of Eliot's caliber disappearing in an effort to avoid unwanted attention did attract attention from potential clients and mortal enemies alike. Rumors abounded and more than once Eliot and baby Sammy had to slip of into the night to avoid detection by one of Eliot's not so pleasant acquaintances. _

_Despite all this, Sammy was a delightful baby, sleeping through the night, gurgling and cooing after a feeding, squealing gleefully as Eliot entertained him and without a doubt his Papa adored him. He was a smart kid and strong, having sat up on his own for the first time just a couple of weeks ago before falling over with a giggle. Eliot had giggled right along with him, hoisting him up into the air with a, "that's Papa's big boy!" _

_Now Eliot sat on the edge of the bed, rocking Sammy back and forth, trying to get him down for the night. He heaved a sigh that suggested the weight of the world sat on his shoulders and stroked Sammy's soft cheek with a calloused finger. "I don't know what to do, Kiddo." _

_Huge brown eyes stared at Eliot intently as Sammy caught Eliot's finger in a slobbery fist. _

"_You know I'd do anything in the world to keep you safe, Sammy. You're the best thing that every happened to me…and the scariest," Eliot added with a watery smile. "But you deserve better than to be dragged from one run down motel to another." When Sammy cooed contentedly, Eliot acknowledged, "Oh, I know you don't mind it now. But when you get a little older, you won't care for it. And if anything every happened to you because of me…because of who I am…I'd never forgive myself." _

_Eliot looked at the phone that sat on the nightstand. He had worked up the courage to call his sister earlier in the day, planning to tell her about Sammy and ask if she and her husband would be willing to take him in. The minute Mary-Beth heard his voice she lit into him, scolding her brother for not contacting her in over a year, for not even letting her know he was alive. He had to apologized several times before she calmed down enough for him to ask her how she was. He was startled by the sob that escaped her. Apparently a lot could and had happened in the last year, including Mary-Beth's husband, and why Eliot had ever thought that scumbag was good enough to raise his son he couldn't remember, had left her for another woman. His three year old nephew, Martin, had been hospitalized twice for asthma attacks. And Mary-Beth was working two jobs to try to make ends meet. Eliot hadn't had the heart to tell her about Sammy at that point, knowing she would want to help, even though she sounded like she would fall apart at any minute from her own stresses. Instead, he spent the next half hour trying to console her and promised he'd send her some money to help out with her bills, despite her protests. _

_The next time Eliot looked at the clock, it was 3:00 in the morning and Sammy was snoozing contentedly in his arms. He kissed the baby's forehead and snuggled him closer. He knew he couldn't keep Sammy with him much longer for his own safety, and with his sister out of the picture, he didn't know where to turn. Adoption had crossed his mind briefly, but he didn't know how he could bear to part with Sammy permanently or who he would ever be able to trust to take care of him. Sure there was a chance that Sammy would get a good family. There was also the chance that he'd be adopted by some nutcase or child abuser. At the mere thought of that his hold on Sammy tightened and Eliot had to force himself to relax for fear of accidentally hurting him. _

_Eliot tried to think if he knew anyone who was adopted or had adopted a child. He couldn't think of anyone off hand, although there was rumor going around that Nate Ford, after his shootout a couple of month's ago with Annie Croix, had reevaluated his life and was taking some time off from the chase while he and his wife tried to adopt a child. Eliot had always respected Ford. He was a good guy and would make a decent dad. But how could Eliot be sure that someone like Ford would get Sammy. He sighed again, shaking his head, then suddenly froze as a light bulb went off in his exhausted brain. Nate Ford would make a good dad….Eliot could trust Nate with Sammy….of course he'd have to scope out Nate's wife…make sure she was a decent woman and would be a good mom…._

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Disclaimer – I have nothing against adoptive parents, I just imagine that Eliot would be fearful that Sammy might not end up in a good home.


	3. Chapter 3

Not Always as They Appear, Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters…shame…

Recap:

_Eliot tried to think if he knew anyone who was adopted or had adopted a child. He couldn't think of anyone off hand, although there was rumor going around that Nate Ford, after his shootout a couple of month's ago with Annie Croix, had reevaluated his life and was taking some time off from the chase while he and his wife tried to adopt a child. Eliot had always respected Ford. He was a good guy and would make a decent dad. But how could Eliot be sure that someone like Ford would get Sammy. He sighed again, shaking his head, then suddenly froze as a light bulb went off in his exhausted brain. Nate Ford would make a good dad….Eliot could trust Nate with Sammy….of course he'd have to scope out Nate's wife…make sure she was a decent woman and would be a good mom…._

Chapter 3

"So wait…" Sophie looked at Eliot thoughtfully. "How is it that Maggie didn't recognized you during the whole…David fiasco…if you met her when Sam was a wee babe?"

"Well, with my hair longer and the glasses, she said she didn't recognize the stunningly handsome man I'd become." Eliot smirked at Nate.

"I think what she actually said was she didn't recognize you without the innocent baby face…" Nate huffed.

"Because of the stunningly handsome man I'd become," Eliot reiterated, causing Sophie to chuckle.

"So how did that first meeting with Maggie go over?" Sophie questioned, genuinely interested.

"It almost got him killed." Nate answered with his own smirk.

Eliot just rolled his eyes as who was almost killed was debatable.

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_Nate rubbed his forehead as he looked over the files in front of him, not knowing how one man could so thoroughly disappear. _

"_You ok, honey?" Maggie asked as she rubbed his tense shoulders. _

"_Huh…oh, yeah…yeah, I'm fine, Mags. I just…need someone to make a retrieval for me and the guy best suited for the job has gone to ground…it's like he's vanished" _

"_This guy?" Maggie asked, pointing to a picture of a clean cut young man with startling blue eyes. _

"_That's him," Nate confirmed. _

"_Hmmm," Maggie replied in a tone that usually meant that Maggie knew something Nate didn't. _

"_Hmmm?" Nate quizzed. _

"_Funny that you can't find him, because I met him just this afternoon at the drug store at that little strip mall on Forsythe." _

"_You what?" _

_Maggie almost laughed at how high Nate's eyebrows rose. _

"_You couldn't have?" Nate insisted, when he finally recovered. _

"_Oh, yes, I'd recognize those beautiful baby blues anywhere." Maggie answered in a dreamy voice. "Evan? Ethan? No, Eliot…that was it." _

"_Eliot Spencer…You met Eliot Spencer at a strip mall and I've been looking for him for two weeks?" Nate asked, incredulous. _

"_Uh…hmmm, really sweet guy," Maggie replied. "And he had the most beautiful baby with him." _

"_Sweet? A baby?" Nate all but squeaked. _

"_Oh yes, a beautiful baby boy with big brown eyes and a head full of brown curls. Sam...no, Sammy. That's what Eliot called him." _

"_What….what would Eliot Spencer be doing at the drug store with a baby?" Nate mused._

"_Well, when I saw him, he was buying diapers and a few other necessities." _

"_Diapers?" Nate did squeak this time. _

"_What?" Maggie questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're trying to adopt and you act like it's unheard of for a man to buy diapers. Really, Nate." _

"_Maggie, Eliot Spencer is a hitter and one of the best retrieval specialists out there. He's not exactly the type to be settling down and having children." _

"_Well, that probably explains the dilemma he's in then." At Nate's quizative look, she continued, "Poor guy looked really stressed, so I asked him if everything was ok. He said he's a single father and has been debating putting Sammy up for adoption. I could see it was really eating at him…I mean, I always wondered how anyone could possibly give up their child, but I could tell that he really loves that little boy and wants to do what's best for him. I tried to reassure him, that whatever decision he makes, I'm sure he'll do what's best for Sammy…that if he decides to go through with the adoption, there are people out there that would love and cherish his son." _

_Nate had been speechless until Maggie's last declaration. "Did you tell him that we were trying to adopt?" _

"_Well, yeah…I mean, the topic came up. It seemed more than a little coincidental that while we're trying to adopt, I would meet someone debating giving their child up for adoption. He had to go sooner than I liked because Sammy was teething and was getting fussy, but I told him I'd be happy to talk to him again some other time if he wanted." _

'_Coincidental indeed.' Nate silently fumed as he wondered what Eliot Spencer was up to. Spencer was a dangerous man, but Nate had never thought of him as a conman…until now. "Did he say where he's staying?" Nate asked, trying to control the anger in his voice. _

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_Eliot woke abruptly to the feel of a cold metal barrel biting into his forehead. It was a testimony to how exhausted he was, that Nate Ford managed to get that close to him without Eliot hearing him. It was also lucky for Ford that Eliot was able to restrain himself when startled from sleep in the middle of the night in such a manner. Had Sammy not been just a few feet away in the small crib the hotel had supplied, Eliot's first instinct would have been to snatch the gun from Ford's hand and turn it on him. But the hitter wouldn't take that chance with Sammy nearby. Instead, he growled at his assailant, "You'd better use that thing or back off, Ford!" _

_Nate blinked and backed up abruptly when he realized that he was holding a gun on one of the most dangerous men he knew. Now standing at the foot of the bed, outside of Eliot's reach, Ford's ire rose again, "What kind of con are you trying to pull on my wife?" _

"_What?" Eliot questioned as he pushed himself up against the headboard, baffled at Nate Ford's behavior. "What are you talking about, man?"_

"_I'm talking about you, trying to sell my wife some sob story about putting your kid up for adoption…what'd you do, rent somebody's baby for the day?" Nate queried, waving the gun around as he spoke. _

"_Keep it down and quit waving that gun around," Eliot hissed, but was too late as Sammy let out a whimper and then a loud wail." _

_Nate's eyes snapped to the crib as he realized he and Eliot weren't alone in the room. "What….you've still got him…did you kidnap him?" Nate asked in horror. _

"_What… no man…are you out of your mind?" Eliot countered, walking over to lift Sammy from the crib to calm him. "Will you put that thing down?" _

_Nate had the decency to look ashamed for waving his gun around in the presence of the infant and finally put it back into the holster on his hip. "If you didn't kidnap him, then where did he come from?"_

_Eliot refrained from making a smart remark about where babies come from. "He's my kid, man. Don't look at me like that," he added, sitting down on the edge of the bed, trying to calm his son. _

"_So, what, you were going to sell your own kid as part of a con?" _

"_What? Of course not…what kind of a man do you think I am?" Eliot fumed. _

"_Well, from where I stand, you're a man that tried to use his baby to con my wife, who desperately wants to adopt…did you really think I'd buy a kid?" _

"_No, Ford…it's not like that…I wasn't planning to sell him to you. What kind of a low life would sell his own kid?" At Nate's 'I don't know, you tell me' look, Eliot sighed. "Look man, you've got it all wrong." Eliot cradled Sammy to his chest, rocking gently back and forth. "I had no intentions of selling Sammy to you. I'm just trying to find him a good home…and I thought…since you and your wife are trying to adopt, maybe you would take him…I just needed to check Maggie out first." _

_Nate looked dumbfounded at the hitter's words. "You…want me to adopt your son? But ….why…why me?" _

_Eliot rolled his eyes as Nate sat down on the very end of the bed, watching him console Sammy. "Why you?...cause you're a good guy, Ford. I know you'd take care of him…. teach him right from wrong…you're the only person I could think of, besides my sister, that I'd trust with my boy. And now that I've met Maggie, I know she'd love him as if he were her own." _

_Several long moments passed, before Nate found his voice. "You'd…trust me with your son?" _


	4. Chapter 4

Not Always As They Appear, Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.

Recap:

_Nate looked dumbfounded at the hitter's words. "You…want me to adopt your son? But ….why…why me?"_

_Eliot rolled his eyes as Nate sat down on the very end of the bed, watching him console Sammy. "Why you?...cause you're a good guy, Ford. I know you'd take care of him…. teach him right from wrong…you're the only person I could think of, besides my sister, that I'd trust with my boy. And now that I've met Maggie, I know she'd love him as if he were her own."_

_Several long moments passed, before Nate found his voice. "You'd…trust me with your son?"_

Chapter 4

"Why would you think Eliot wouldn't trust you with Sam, Nate?" Sophie puzzled.

Nate shrugged, before replying. "I don't know…I guess….well, when Maggie and I couldn't conceive, I thought maybe God was trying to tell me something, you know. I didn't have the best father in the world and … I thought… well, what if parenting skills turned out to be genetic and I was a terrible Dad?"

"Nonsense," Sophie objected, swatting Nate's arm. "Why, I bet you took to being a Dad like a duck to a pond."

At that, Eliot chuckled and Nate blushed and admitted, "Not really…"

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_Nate paced around the living room, bouncing Sam up and down slightly, trying to calm him. Eliot had been gone 5 days on the retrieval for Nate, while Maggie and Nate got better acquainted with the hitter's son. Maggie was, of course, a natural. Nate, not so much. And while he seemed to finally be getting adjusted to holding the baby and feeding him and had even changed his diaper a couple of times with Maggie's supervision, this was the first time he and Sam had been left alone. Maggie's 'I'll only be gone a couple of hours at most' had turned into four. Nate and Sam were ok for the first two and a half hours, but then Sam had gotten fussy. Nate had checked his diaper…it was clean and dry. He'd tried to give him a bottle…it was promptly rejected. He'd tried to distract Sam with toys and was hit in the eye with a spit covered plastic rattle…leave it to Eliot Spencer to buy his son a rattle clunky enough to use as a weapon. Nate was sure he was going to have a bruise. _

_When Nate couldn't find a way to console him, Sam had gotten more and more agitated and was now red in the face with big crocodile tears rolling down his cheeks. Nate cooed, bounced, jiggled, wiped rejected milk off of his shirt, hummed, swayed, tried to call Maggie who was in a meeting and apparently had her phone off, jiggled again, sang, bounced again, tried Maggie again, and was about to resort to begging when the phone rang. _

"_Oh, thank goodness. Honey, where are you? You were supposed to be home hours ago," Nate exclaimed, only to be slightly startled by a low chuckle. _

"_Well now, Ford, I didn't know you'd miss me so much," Eliot responded. _

"_Eliot? Eliot, thank goodness. Are you back in town?" Nate was never so relieved to hear the hitter's voice. Eliot was a master in "Sam speak" and seemed to know intuitively what his son needed and how to calm him at the first sign that the little boy was unhappy. _

"_No, I'm still in Naples, but I've got the goods and will be heading back on the next flight out. What are you doin to my boy?" Eliot inquired hearing his son's loud protests and the anxiety in Nate's voice. _

"_Nothing…nothing…" Nate reassured. "It's just…Maggie had to go to work for a couple of hours and Sam got upset and he's not wet and apparently not hungry and not interested in any of his toys and I can't get him to calm down. I've jiggled and bounced and hummed and…"_

"_Did you try singing to him?" Eliot interrupted Ford's rambling. _

"_Yeah…of course…I tried singing to him." Nate assured, having seen Eliot do that a couple of times to calm the child. "That only seemed to make him cry harder." _

"_What where you singing?" _

"_Oh, I don't know…I tried a couple of lullabies, a little Doobie Brothers, just songs." Nate answered, trying to juggle a crying Sam and the phone. _

"_The Doobie Brothers? No wonder he's so upset." Eliot quipped. _

"_What's wrong with the Doobie Brothers?" Nate inquired as he plopped down into his recliner with the boy, exhausted. _

"_It's just…wrong, man. Look, you gotta sing something he'll recognize…a little Johnny Cash or Waylon….you know?" Eliot countered. _

"_Waylon?" _

"_Jennings, man." Eliot rolled his eyes. Leave it to him to pick a potential adoptive father for his son who didn't even know who Waylon Jennings was. "Look, surely you've heard 'Luckenbach, Texas'. Just sing along with me, I'll get you through it." _

_Eliot sang with Nate echoing him, but Sammie kept crying, ramping it up even further in objection. _

"_It's not working…" Nate groused. _

"_You just gotta put more twang in it, man. Come on, keep going." Eliot insisted. _

"_I don't twang!" Nate snapped, exasperated. _

"_Well you better figure out how to, because I know that cry. Sammy's gettin ready to pitch a doozy of a fit. He's just gettin started, man." _

_Nate threw his head back on the recliner and let out a longsuffering sigh, then he did his best to 'twang' out the next verse. _

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Further disclosures: I do not own the Doobie Brothers, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, or Luckenbach, Texas. But I sure had fun with them.


	5. Chapter 5

Not Always As They Appear, Chapter 5

Merry Christmas. I have not forgotten this story. I have just been very, very busy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, Waylon Jennings songs, Doobie Brothers Songs, etc….

Recap:

"_What's wrong with the Doobie Brothers?" Nate inquired as he plopped down into his recliner with the boy, exhausted._

"_It's just…wrong, man. Look, you gotta sing something he'll recognize…a little Johnny Cash or Waylon….you know?" Eliot countered._

"_Waylon?"_

"_Jennings, man." Eliot rolled his eyes. Leave it to him to pick a potential adoptive father for his son who didn't even know who Waylon Jennings was. "Look, surely you've heard 'Luckenbach, Texas'. Just sing along with me, I'll get you through it."_

_Eliot sang with Nate echoing him, but Sammie kept crying, ramping it up even further in objection._

"_It's not working…" Nate groused._

"_You just gotta put more twang in it, man. Come on, keep going." Eliot insisted._

"_I don't twang!" Nate snapped, exasperated._

"_Well you better figure out how to, because I know that cry. Sammy's gettin ready to pitch a doozy of a fit. He's just gettin started, man."_

_Nate threw his head back on the recliner and let out a longsuffering sigh, then he did his best to 'twang' out the next verse._

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Sophie let out a snigger at the thought of Nate "twanging" which earned her an indignant look from Nate himself and a chuckle from Eliot. Getting herself under control, she patted Nate's arm and cleared her throat. "Well, I think it's very sweet that you learned to twang for Sam," she offered with a smile. "And, I think it's great that you guys could have an open adoption so Eliot could help you get acquainted with Sam and could keep up with his progress," she added.

"Well, it wasn't really an open adoption," Eliot corrected.

At Sophie's questioning look, Nate clarified. "Eliot thought it would be safer for Sam and for us if he didn't have any contact with us."

"Oh…" Sophie muttered, knowing, with Eliot's big heart, what it must have cost him to not be a part of Sam's life. "I'm sorry, Eliot. That must have been awful."

Eliot rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands in his jeans pockets as he gazed down at his son's headstone, looking more vulnerable than Sophie had ever seen him. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

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_Eliot's hand shook slightly as he adjusted his grip on the pen in it and signed his name to the papers Nate and Maggie's lawyer had drawn up….signing his son….his life…over to the insurance agent and his wife. Sammie sat in his lap, playing with one of the button's on Eliot's shirt, trying to get it into his mouth with his slobbery fist. The baby gurgled and let out a happy little squeal, not recognizing his Papa's distress. Eliot dropped the pen, buried his face in Sammie's curls and hugged his little boy tight. After several seconds, he stood from the chair with Sammie so abruptly that Nate thought he might be about to bolt with his…their baby. _

_Clearing his throat, Nate cautiously implored, "Eliot?" _

"_I just need a few minutes," Eliot huffed, the pain in his voice palpable. _

"_Ok," Nate muttered, followed by Maggie's, "Take as much time as you need." She squeezed Nate's hand in hopeful reassurance. _

_Eliot moved from Nate and Maggie's dining room to the living area with Sammie. The baby by now had picked up on the tension in his father and was starting to fuss. Eliot patted his back, leaning his cheek against Sammie's, and sang a lullaby his mother used to sing to him and his sister when they were little. When he was finished, he leaned his head back and looked down at his son. Sammie had fallen into a peaceful slumber. Eliot kissed his forehead and blinked back tears before speaking. _

_XXXXXXXX_

_Nate and Maggie watched Eliot from the doorway to the dining room. They couldn't hear what Eliot was saying to his son from the low tone and his back being turned to them, but the emotion in his voice was clear. Eliot Spencer's heart was breaking and Maggie's was breaking for him. Even though it had only been a few weeks since she had met Eliot and his little Sammie in that drug store, in those few weeks, she'd witnessed the man's unconditional love for his son and the baby's complete adoration of his Papa. She could only imagine how hard this must be for Eliot. She wiped a tear from her own cheek as Nate put his arm around her and hugged her close. Finally Eliot turned toward them and they knew the time had come. As they stepped into the living area, Eliot moved forward and gently lowered a sleeping Sammie into Maggie's arms, brushed a stray curl back from the little boy's forehead with a feather light touch, then turned and strode out the door without a word to either of them. _

_XXXXXXXX_

_Eliot dropped into the seat of his rental car, slammed the door shut, and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. His whole body trembled with emotion and his vision blurred. He didn't try to stop the tears for his son as he prayed that God would take care of him…keep him safe…and let him grow up to be a good man. Turning the key in the ignition, he threw the car into drive and sped off, afraid that if he didn't get away from the Ford's house, he would lose his nerve and not be able to leave Sammie. _


End file.
